A car interior gets dirty, no matter how much you take care of it, and you should deep clean carpets and seats at least once every two years (ideally even more often). However, most people don’t have the proper equipment to do it properly, and today we’ll discuss whether it is even possible to deep clean a car interior without a carpet extractor.
To answer your question quickly, I’ll tell you that it’s possible, and there are actually two ways of doing it, which I’ll be discussing below, so make sure to read further.
Is It Possible To Deep Clean Car Interior Without a Carpet Extractor?
Deep cleaning your car’s interior (shampooing carpets, seats, and other upholstery) is totally doable, even without a carpet extractor.
Many car guys will tell you that it’s not possible, but I’ve been there, and I know two ways you can achieve pretty great results, even without an extractor.
Even though you won’t be able to get the same results as if you’ve had the proper equipment, you can still clean your car to a satisfactory level.
In the end, it all depends on how much time and effort you’re ready to invest in deep cleaning your vehicle. At first, it’ll probably take you 5-7 hours to the deep clean car interior. However, when you gain some experience, you’ll be able to deep clean your car in 2-4 hours, which is fantastic, and you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself.
Method 1: Without Any Equipment
The first method I want to show you is deep cleaning your car’s interior without any specialized equipment or tools. All you need is a brush, a few microfiber towels, and a carpet cleaning solution.
Quick Steps:
- Spray the carpet shampoo on the seats or carpets
- Agitate the area with a brush
- Wipe off with a clean microfiber towel – you’ll have to do it a few times with a few microfiber towels to get as much moisture as possible out of car seats and carpets
This method is if you’re on a really tight budget, and even though it works fine, you can achieve much better results with the 2nd method I’m going to show you now.
Method 2: Using Your Shop Vac
Try this method if you already have a shop vac (wet and dry vacuum). Turning a shop vac into an extractor is extremely easy. All you need is a carpet extractor attachment which you can get on Amazon for about $30 (There are even cheaper versions, but they’re not as quality as the ones from $30 and above).
Quick Steps:
- Vacuum the seats and carpets
- Apply carpet cleaning solution
- Agitate with a brush
- Thoroughly extract the seats with your shop vac
- Repeat the process if the stains are still there
- Once the car is clean, let it dry completely. Usually, it takes anywhere between 2-5 hours for the car interior to dry
By using this method, I was able to get very similar results to my friend using a real carpet extractor. Of course, nothing can replace a dedicated carpet extractor, but with some experience, you can get pretty similar results by following the method above.
Is Buying a Dedicated Carpet Extractor Worth It?
Of course, if you want to get the best possible results when cleaning your vehicle, you’ll need a carpet extractor. However, is buying a carpet extractor actually worth it for you?
The answer depends on how often you deep clean vehicles. If you’re doing it occasionally (1-2 times a year), I don’t think buying a carpet extractor is a worthy investment.
However, if you like to do it more often, or you also clean cars from your family members or friends, buying a budget carpet extractor such as Bissel Spot Clean Pro is a fantastic choice, and you’ll always get fantastic cleaning results.
Final Thoughts
Car detailing services tend to be very expensive, and that’s why most people prefer to clean their cars, especially when we talk about car interiors. If you want to deep clean your car, but you’re on a budget, I’m sure that following the tips and resources we showed you above will help you.
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